Abu Dhabi street plans spell work for contractors

UPC director of development review and urban design Saood Al Junaibi.

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s (UPC) newly unveiled urban street guidelines will provide further infrastructural work across the Abu Dhabi for contractors over the coming months.

The first construction contracts under the guidelines will be tendered before the close of this year and will cover works on Khalifa Street in the UAE capital. Work will begin at the start of next year.

The UPC was unable to provide further details regarding the tendering process. “Whether it will be an open tender or invite only has not been decided yet,” UPC transport planning manager Bill Lashbrook told Construction Week. “The actual delivery method is still being worked out among the agencies.”

Lashbrook added that the UPC would “be rolling out a programme of street design for other streets on [Abu Dhabi] island next year as well.”

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The guidelines will be applied to the construction of streets in Abu Dhabi’s new communities, as well as to Khalifa A and Khalifa B which are currently under construction, Lashbrook said.

The guidelines are intended to provide greater choice of movement “by walking, cycling and public transport modes, as well as in private motor vehicles,” the UPC said in a statement.

They include provision for rail transport, 2x2 traffic lanes, shading and cooling solutions for footpaths, an increased number of pedestrian crossings, and cycle lanes.

According to UPC planning manager Ibrahim Al Hmoudi, this will increase the capacity of an city centre street to support people movement “by 10 times”.

Department of Transport integrated planning manager Bader Al Qamzi said the target of Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 was for “40% of people’s trips by 2030 to be taken by public transport.” The present figure, he added, was 1%.

The street designs fall within the guidelines of Abu Dhabi Plan 2030, which is intended as an over-arching guide to development in the capital over the next two decades. The plan is strongly influenced by the Estidama initiative, which drives sustainability in Abu Dhabi.

“The standards are inspired by the need to establish Abu Dhabi as a ground-breaking global mobility model,” UPC director of development review and urban design Saood Al Junaibi said.

“This will be underpinned by diversity, flexibility, destination access, efficiency and time saving and enhancement of movement.”